Lee County Pipes & Drums
Lee County Pipes & Drums (LCP&D) is a bagpipe band that was formed in 1998 in Fort Myers, Florida by a group of pipers and drummers who wanted to carry on the Scottish Pipe Band tradition in Southwest Florida. The charter members envisioned a street band, rather than a competition band, in order to share the Celtic tradition with the largest number of people in the area. By doing so they created the only bagpipe street band in Southwest Florida, since other pipe bands in the area are oriented toward competing for recognition in Highland Games.
Lee County Pipes & Drums is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization raising funds for charitable organizations in Southwest Florida as well as sponsoring continuing education in piping and drumming. It is a non-sectarian, non-partisan organization dedicated to furthering the Music of Scotland and Ireland through participation in area events.
Street Bands
In pipe band circles, street bands perform in civic and patriotic functions such as parades, public and semi-private ceremonies and at other times when the skirl of the pipes and the tight buzz and snap of highland drumming will add a stirring reminder of the Highlands of Scotland. The members of these bands are as keen AbOUT mastering the intricacies of their INSTRUMENTS as members of competition bands, but for various reasons, GeneRally having to do with work, family or other time commitments, choose to perform rather than compete. Competition at highland games is generally an all day affair, whereas a parade or other performance is usually over in an hour or so, leaving the rest of the day free.
Duncan MacLachlan
The founding Pipe Major(PM) Duncan MacLachlan had played with the World Champion Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band of Scotland. After emigrating to Canada, PM MacLachlan helped found several bands including the Grade 1, Waterloo, Ontario, Regional Police Pipe Bandof which he was PM. With his wife, Jenny, herself a champion in Highland Dancing, he founded the Cambridge, Ontario Highland Games, . Duncan is credited with influencing some of the prominent pipers of today, including Ringo Bowen and Jim MacGillivray.
Activities in the 2000's
After Duncan's Untimely death in 2000, George Cook became Pipe Major. The band remembers its original pipe major by wearing kilts of the Clan MacLachlan tartan and the pipers wear a flash of Ancient MacLachlan tartan on their Glengarry bonnets. In 2002, Bill Ferrigno took over from George, and brought in a structured training regimen. This allowed the band to bring in new personnel who were interested in learning the pipes or drums. Piper Mary-Alice Reesman became The Primary instructor of new pipers, encouraging them and bringing them along to the point where they become valued players in the band.
Tartan Day
In 2003, under the urging of Piper Jim Reesman, the band began holding a Tartan Day Ceilidh with all proceeds going to a charitable organization in the area. This ceilidh became one of the highlights of the social season in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers area. Working with the St. Andrews Society of Lee County, it raised the awareness in Southwest Florida of the Scots and Scots-American heritage. As time went on, the band's name became more well-known and LCP&D began performing engagements away from Southwest Florida. In 2004, the entire band performed at Universal Studios in Orlando, and some of the members traveled to Pasadena, California to participate in the Tournament of Roses Parade in 2006 with The Famous Ontario Massed Pipes & Drums , under PM Ross Baxter. Later,in 2006, PM Bill Ferrigno changed his primary residence to Ohio and relinquished the reins to George Cook. Since he planned on returning to Florida in the winter months, Bill remained as MusicAL Director. PM Cook carries on the training and booking of the band for various functions throughout the year, and Bill Ferrigno coordinates the musical activities, directly while he is in Florida and electronically when he is in Ohio.
Future Growth
LCP&D has grown to the point where in 2010 there are now over 40 members available to perform on the street, as well as a group of up-and-comers who are in training. Most of the band members are full time residents of Southwest Florida, but there are some who reside in Florida only during the winter months, and maintain residences in the northern parts of the United States, Canada and the UK during the summer. Many of these individuals keep up their piping and drumming skills by belonging to a "Northern Band" in the summer months as well as playing with Lee County in the cooler months. The band continues to increase its presence and the heritage of Scots and Scots-Americans in Southwest Florida.